Getting prepped for college life just got a bit simpler for high schoolers and their families in East Tennessee. Maryville College is hosting the Blount County College Fair and Financial Aid Night on September 24, aiming to take some of the stress out of college selection and financing. According to Maryville College's announcement, this event is set to feature representatives from over 50 institutions of higher learning, ensuring a broad spectrum of academic pathways can be explored on a single evening.
The William Baxter Lee III Grand Foyer of the Clayton Center for the Arts will become a hub of opportunity from 5:30 to 7 p.m. as prospective scholars converge to sift through their future academic homes. Catherine Hill, Assistant Director of Admissions and Visitor Experience at Maryville College, highlighted that “It’s not always easy to schedule tours that involve traveling to some of these schools, so bringing them to Maryville College is an option that allows parents and the students themselves to either save themselves a trip or make certain that a future trip is worthwhile,” she explained in a statement released by Maryville College News.
Maryville College is putting its own academic divisions on show but insists on providing a landscape of options which include heavyweights like Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to specialized centers like the Tennessee School of Beauty. The endeavor is not just about swaying students to become one of the Maryville Scots, but about fostering informed decision-making amid the prospective student populace.
Alongside the college fair, Financial Aid Night sessions will run from 5 to 6 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m., designed to demystify the process of securing financial help for education. These sessions will address the complexities of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), scholarships, and loans, with the goal to "reassure families that not only is the process manageable, but it can be done in a way that ensures each student receives the most financial aid that’s available,” per Hill in her interview with Maryville College News. No prior registration is necessary for these informative sessions that could pave the way to funding the next generation of scholars.
Parents and their college-bound teens are encouraged to visit the myriad of tables, gather information, ask questions, and get a real sense of what might lie ahead in their academic future. For more details about attendance, Maryville College’s Office of Admissions is open for inquiries, ready to illuminate pathways to higher education and a brighter horizon.
